Department for Transport

Aircraft: Accidents

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents involving aircraft there have been in the UK in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Statistics for aircraft accidents in the UK are kept by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is required to investigate events which come within the definition of accident contained in Article 1 of the EU Regulation 996/2010. AAIB also investigates "serious incidents" as defined by the Regulation.The table below sets out the number of investigations that the AAIB has undertaken. These includes investigations into serious incidents involving commercial air transport aircraft for the sake of completeness.YearNo of AAIB Investigations Commenced20142362013245201226420112512010248CAA statistics differ slightly as they are based on reports made under the mandatory occurrence reporting requirements.

Bus Services: Regulation

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12540, whether the process for Government approval of bus regulation as part of devolution deals referred to in that Answer will require secondary legislation or his formal permission.

Andrew Jones: The Buses Bill will be introduced later in this Parliamentary session, so proposals are still in development. It is therefore too early to confirm the process that may be proposed through the Bill.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the role of automated cone laying and retrieval on road maintenance worker safety.

Andrew Jones: Highways England and the Department for Transport (DfT) fully support the adoption of innovative techniques such as automated cone laying, where this will realise safety benefits for road maintenance workers. The then Highways Agency tested one machine – ‘Conemaster’ built by Jordan products Ltd., some years ago. On-road trials facilitated by the Highways Agency were successful and this indicated that the technique did offer positive safety benefits. In addition, the Highways Agency subsequently commissioned an independent economic assessment of the benefits of Conemaster in 2011. The final report, produced early 2012, concluded that the cone laying machine also offered positive economic benefits.Highways England has a client role and it is for its supply chain to design and deliver traffic management solutions and it is for these suppliers to procure such equipment. The DfT has worked to assist Conemaster in its efforts to market its product and a meeting was facilitated with the then Highways Agency’s suppliers to demonstrate the benefits of the product.

Public Transport: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's policies on increasing access to public transport for disabled passengers.

Andrew Jones: We have made significant progress since 2010 on increasing access to public transport.Compliance with bus accessibility regulations is 89% of buses in England in 2015 compared to 59% in 2009-10; while 60% of rail vehicles, up from less than 40% in 2010, were built or fully refurbished to modern access standards.By the end of this year Access for All will have completed more than 150 step-free routes at rail stations against a target of 125. More than 1,200 stations have also received smaller scale improvements. To build on this success £160m has been allocated to another 68 stations to be delivered by 2019.

Transport: Costs

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the cost of bus and rail travel.

Andrew Jones: Trends in the cost of rail travelThe rail fares index is available from Office of Rail and Road, available here: http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/browsereports/1. In respect of regulated rail fares, I would note that we have capped regulated fare increases at RPI for the past two years and will continue to do so for the lifetime of this Parliament. This has resulted in wages rising faster than fares for the first time since 2002. We have also reduced the non-cumulative flex from 5 per cent introduced by Labour to 0 per cent in 2015. We will continue this policy for the lifetime of this Parliament.In respect of unregulated rail fares, from 1997 to 2010 unregulated fares grew more quickly than regulated fares every year, but since 2010 the average rise in unregulated fares has dropped to a similar level as regulated fares. Unregulated fares increased in real terms between 2005 and 2010 by 14.4% compared to 4.7% between 2010 and 2015.Trends in the cost of bus travelThe local bus fares index is published in table BUS0415, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387116/bus0415.xlsI would note that bus fares in England increased in real terms between March 2005 and March 2010 by 11.2% compared to 7.0% between March 2010 and March 2015.

Railway Stations: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the location of the new HS2 station in Leeds is decided with a view to accommodating HS3/Transnorth in future.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government and Transport for the North are working to deliver the Northern Transport Strategy, which recognises that the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) Programme must complement HS2’s transformative north-south connectivity with radically improved east-west connections, multiplying and sharing the benefits across the North. The Government and TfN are working closely together to ensure that HS2 and proposals for NPR are complementary and integrated and this includes plans for Leeds station.

Vehicle Number Plates

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much revenue the DVLA has received from selling driver registration plate numbers to car parking companies in each of the last five years.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of driver registration plate numbers the DVLA has sold to car parking companies in each of the last five years.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Information Commissioner's Office about the DVLA selling driver registration plate numbers to car parking firms.

Andrew Jones: The table below shows the income received by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) from processing requests for information from private parking management companies over the last five financial years. The DVLA sets fees to recover the cost of processing requests and does not make a profit from providing this information.YearTotal Revenue2010/11£2,910,8502011/12£3,657,8592012/13£4,831,3552013/14£6,097,8982014/15£7,573,298The DVLA releases vehicle keeper information to those who can show reasonable cause for receiving it. The following table shows the number of requests from private car parking management companies for vehicle keeper information processed via electronic links over the last five financial years.YearElectronic Requests2010/111,178,0342011/121,574,3972012/131,897,5722013/142,430,1302014/153,083,276The vast majority of requests for vehicle keeper information are made electronically but information can also be requested using a paper application form. However, these requests come from a range of customers including private car parking management companies and the figures are not broken down by customer type.The DVLA meets regularly with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to discuss a range of issues, including the provision of information for private parking management. The ICO’s most recent audit resulted in a high assurance rating relating to the release of information from the DVLA’s vehicle record.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the proposal from High Speed UK on high speed rail has been rejected.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proposals suggested by High Speed UK are similar to the Reverse ‘E’ considered by HS2 Ltd in their 2010 report submitted to the Government on the demand and business case analysis of the alternative proposals. It was considered that this proposal could not offer better journey times from London/Birmingham to Manchester/Liverpool than HS2 trains continuing to the north-west from Lichfield via the West Coast Main Line. Ministers considered the advice presented and views from a wide range of sources, and based on the evidence the decision was taken to proceed with the ‘Y’ shaped network.

Crossrail Line

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost of the Crossrail programme has been (a) to date and (b) in each financial year since the programme began; what proportion of the cost in each of those categories has been borne by (i) the public purse, (ii) funding from the EU and (iii) private companies involved in the programme; and what the projected cost of that programme is expected to be over its lifetime in total and for each of the three sub-categories set out above.

Claire Perry: During the passage of the Crossrail Bill through Parliament, a commitment was given that a statement would be published at least every 12 months until the completion of the construction of Crossrail, setting out information about the project’s funding and finances. The first statement was published in July 2009.The latest statement was published on 2 July 2015 and can be viewed here:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Lords/2015-07-02/HLWS73Expenditure incurred by Crossrail Ltd. in relation to the construction of Crossrail in the period covered by the statement (30 May 2014 and 29 May 2015) was £1,583,293,000 (excluding recoverable VAT on land and property purchases).Crossrail’s funding package of £14.8bn is roughly split three ways between taxpayers, businesses, and future Crossrail fare payers. It is not possible to produce a detailed breakdown of which funding streams expenditure year on year comes from.Crossrail Ltd. continue to forecast that the costs of constructing Crossrail will be within the agreed funding limits.

Aviation: Passengers

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what provisions are in place to enable airports to ban passengers from their premises; under what circumstances such provisions may be used; and how many passengers were banned from (a) Leeds Bradford International, (b) Belfast International, (c) East Midlands, (d) Edinburgh, (e) Glasgow International, (f) Manchester, (g) Newcastle International, (h) London Gatwick, (i) London Luton, (j) London Stansted and (k) London Heathrow Airport in each year from 2010 to 2015 to date.

Mr Robert Goodwill: An airport company may prohibit a person from entering the Airport under provisions in their byelaws.As this is a matter for the airport concerned the Department does not hold details of any person so prohibited.

Pedestrian Areas: Wheelchairs

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will improve access to pavements for wheelchair users.

Andrew Jones: The design and management of streets and pavements is the responsibility of local authorities. We expect local authorities to work towards high quality, attractive and inclusive streets that work for all people including wheelchairs users.This Government is committed to promoting an inclusive transport system and there is a range of national guidance on street design issues in Department for Transport documents and elsewhere to assist local authorities considering the design of streets for wheelchair users. Best practice is set out in the Inclusive Mobility guidance which we plan to update next year https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3695/inclusive-mobility.pdf.

Railways: North of England

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his policy to require the new TransPennine Express franchise to include direct Hull, Leeds and Manchester services at the same frequency as is currently provided.

Andrew Jones: The Government recognises the value that passengers attach to direct services in preference to having to change trains.The specification for the new TransPennine Express franchise, which starts in April 2016, requires the future franchisee to continue to operate through services between Hull and Manchester. The Government’s response to the consultation on the new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises, published in February, made clear that decisions on the post-electrification service pattern for Hull would be taken during the life of the new franchises. In the meantime, the specifications for the new franchises will provide Hull passengers with an improved weekday evening service back from Manchester, a full hourly all-day service to/from York, and additional trains to/from Scarborough.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the contribution that the Hoo Green to Bamfurlong spur of High Speed 2 is likely to make to reducing capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line; and what account that estimate takes of (a) rail freight and (b) passenger services to Warrington Bank Quay and elsewhere.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Network Rail has identified[1] that crowding issues on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) mean that, whilst there is the potential to run a small number of additional services, the WCML will be effectively full by 2024. The lack of capacity will become even more acute beyond 2024 as demand continues to grow. This will negatively affect both freight and passenger services. The western leg of HS2 Phase Two alleviates these capacity constraints in the Warrington area.[1] Network Rail: West Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy

Midland Main Railway Line

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for replacement of the HST 125 trains on the Midland mainline.

Claire Perry: The Department considers that franchisees are normally best placed to procure the rolling stock that they require to deliver the necessary levels of service and capacity. We expect the competition for the next East Midlands long-term franchise to deliver those improvements to the rolling stock that are required.

East Anglia Railway Line

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to increase the frequency of train services to north-east Essex along the Great Eastern Main Line.

Claire Perry: As with all competitions, after running a public consultation to help specify services, we have published the Invitation To Tender which sets out the minimum service specifications for the next East Anglia franchise. This asks bidders to set out detailed proposals on what improvements for passengers they will deliver. This approach allowsbidders the flexibility to design the best way of delivering or exceeding the specifications.

Cycling: Training

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to fund Bikeability beyond 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Funding for Bikeability is currently confirmed until the end of March 2016. We will take a decision on future funding for the Bikeability programme beyond March 2016 following the outcome of the Spending Review.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Fireworks: Fire Services

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to provide adequate fire service on bonfire night.

Greg Clark: The Government is grateful to all firefighters who continually demonstrate their commitment to protecting their communities, particularly at this busy time of year.It is for each local fire and rescue authority to ensure the adequacy of its fire and rescue service provision on bonfire night and throughout the year. Each will have in place an Integrated Risk Management Plan, identifying and assessing the risks facing its communities and determining its priorities in relation to prevention, protection and response.

Affordable Housing: Bristol South

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new homes for affordable rent were completed in Bristol South constituency in each year from 2010 to 2014.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new homes for social rent were completed in Bristol South constituency in each year from 2010 to 2014.

Brandon Lewis: Statistics on additional housing for affordable rent provided in each local authority area in England are published in the Department’s live table 1006a which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supplyThese figures include both newly built housing and acquisitions.Figures are not collected on the basis of Parliamentary constituencies.

Social Rented Housing

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will provide exemptions from the pay to stay scheme for tenants in affordable rent-to-buy properties.

Brandon Lewis: We will consider the case carefully for exceptions from the policy and will set out the detail in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Human Rights

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what commitments on human rights in China he secured during the recent state visit to the UK by President Xi Jinping.

Mr Hugo Swire: In talks with President Xi, the Prime Minister, my rt hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) reaffirmed the importance we attach to the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue. President Xi acknowledged the importance of improving human rights protection, and that China was ready for increased exchanges and co-operation on this issue with the United Kingdom. In the UK-China Joint Statement, Britain and China agreed to continue exchanges on human rights and rule of law. We will continue to pursue our human rights concerns both privately and in public fora.

Anguilla: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has to transfer powers over the raising and spending of public finances from the government of Anguilla to the Government.

James Duddridge: There are no plans to remove the power of the Government of Anguilla to tax and spend. In circumstances where an Overseas Territory is in breach of its legal limits for debt, or where the UK taxpayer may be called upon to provide support, it is the established convention that reasonable assurance measures are put in place so that financial obligations continue to be met and public finances remain sustainable. The Government of Anguilla faces considerable challenges in maintaining sound public finances along with support for economic growth and the financial sector. We look forward to receiving the Government of Anguilla’s robust and credible plans, and to discussing these with them. The UK Government will continue to work in partnership with the Government of Anguilla to help ensure the long term financial security of the people of Anguilla. We also continue to keep open our offer to provide further technical assistance.

Official Visits

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse was of arrangements for the most recent visits to the UK by the (a) President of the US and (b) President of China.

James Duddridge: The full cost of inward State Visits is borne by a number of different Government Departments.The cost borne by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the 2011 State Visit by the President of the US was £395,095.We do not yet have the costs for the 2015 State Visit by the President of China. These will be published on the gov.uk website once available.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Russian government on full implementation of its obligations under the Minsk agreements.

Mr David Lidington: In all ministerial and senior official contacts with Russia, the UK Government continues to emphasise the importance of full implementation of the Minsk Agreements. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge ( Mr Hammond) raised the issue of Ukraine when he met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the margins of the Iran nuclear negotiations in Vienna in July 2015, and again in the margins of the Syria talks in Vienna in October 2015. I raised it when I met the Russian Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko in June 2015.

Iraq: Iran

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the (a) Iraqi and (b) Iranian authorities on the missile attack on Camp Liberty, Baghdad, on 29 October 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We strongly condemn the attack against the civilian residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq on Thursday 29 October. Officials from our Embassy in Baghdad raised the attack with the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office on 30 October and made clear the importance of an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the incident and ensuring that all those responsible are brought to justice.In all of our engagement with the Government of Iraq on this issue, including at Ministerial level and in our statements, we have emphasised the importance of the Iraqi Government doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the residents of Camp Liberty.It is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq to protect Camp Liberty. We have therefore not raised the attack with the Iranian authorities.

Muslim Brotherhood Review

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the report of the review into the Muslim Brotherhood; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We intend to update the House about the main findings of the Muslim Brotherhood Review shortly. We have been clear from the outset that the purpose of the Review is to get a better understanding of what the Muslim Brotherhood stands for, how they intend to achieve their aims and what that means for the United Kingdom.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from her Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Mr Ben Wallace: There has been no stationery reported lost or stolen in my Department during the period requested.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will assess the potential effect of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on (a) education, (b) health and (c) procurement in Scotland.

Anna Soubry: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will benefit the UK economy by up to £10 billion a year, making investment in education and health more affordable. It will not, however, affect how public services are provided. Decisions on how to deliver public services for UK citizens are and will be made by UK governments, not our trade partners.The agreement should lead to new market access for Scottish companies to compete for US Government contracts. The UK will continue to be able to set standards for public procurement.

Public Houses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent progress he has made on publishing a statutory code for pub companies; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Government published the first part of a two-part consultation on the statutory Pubs Code on 29 October 2015 at the GOV.UK website.

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what he plans for the size of the stake which the Government will retain in the Green Investment Bank to be after that bank's privatisation.

Anna Soubry: Decisions on the size of stake retained in the Green Investment Bank will be taken on the basis of what achieves best value for money for the taxpayer.

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has for the £1.8 billion of uncommitted Green Investment Bank funds following privatisation of that bank.

Anna Soubry: The Government allocated up to £3.8 billion of funds to Green Investment Bank (GIB) for investment in the period to March 2016. To date, GIB has made commitments totalling £2.1billion. Government will fund these and any further commitments GIB enters into during the current year to March 2016.GIB’s funding needs for the year 2016/17 are being considered as part of the current spending review and the outcome will be announced later in the year.

Students: Loans

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's proposal to freeze the earnings threshold for plan 2 student loans on the cost of attending university.

Joseph Johnson: Freezing the repayment threshold will not affect the cost of attending university. It will mean that students, once earning, will on average meet a greater share of these costs over their working life through loan repayments, helping ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the system. Lower earning graduates below the repayment threshold will not be affected by the proposed changes.Estimates of the impact of freezing the repayment thresholds are illustrated in the consultation document, which has been published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold

Department for International Development

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) deaths from and (b) cases of HIV, TB and malaria that will be prevented as a result of her Department's £1 billion commitment to the Global Fund from 2014 to 2016.

Grant Shapps: From a standing start in 2002, the UK’s unwavering support has enabled the Global Fund to keep 8.1 million people alive with HIV therapy, distribute 548 million mosquito nets, detect and treat 13.2 million cases of TB, and has contributed to a decline of one third in the number of people dying from the three diseases since 2002 in Global Fund countries.The UK remains a strong and active supporter of the Global Fund and has pledged a contribution of up to £1 billion between 2014 and 2016 for the Global Fund’s 4th replenishment, subject to a 10% donor share cap. The UK’s contribution is estimated to dramatically improve the lives of millions of people - saving approximately 580,000 lives by preventing 8.4m new malaria, HIV and tuberculosis infections.

Department for International Development: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants in her Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Information on trade union membership is held by individual trade unions. The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Global Fund's decision to require integration of TB and HIV programmes.

Grant Shapps: As of December 2014, Global Fund programmes have supported 8.1 million people with HIV to access antiretroviral therapy and have detected and treated 13.2 million cases of tuberculosis (TB).Given the links between TB and HIV, DFID supports the Global Fund’s requirement for countries heavily burdened by the two diseases of TB and HIV to put forward unified and integrated applications for joint programming.Initial evidence from a recent independent review of the Global Fund’s strategy indicates that the Global Fund’s joint TB/HIV programming has enabled greater communication across disease-specific stakeholders. The Global Fund now needs to harness potential synergies and work towards greater joint service delivery to achieve maximum impact across these diseases.

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the Government has disbursed in aid to Afghanistan since 2007.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Between 2007 and 2013 (the latest figures available) UK bilateral aid expenditure in Afghanistan has totalled £1,422,500,000.

Overseas Aid

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what account her Department takes of efforts to eradicate corruption when deciding on the allocation of aid.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID uses a range of criteria, including a country’s efforts to eradicate corruption, to inform its aid allocation decisions. Efforts to eradicate corruption are a key part of the UK’s four Partnership Principles. Our assessment of the government’s commitment to the Partnership Principles influences the extent to which we work with the government of that country and use its systems.

Ethiopia: Human Rights

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to promote the safety of students in Ethiopia who are campaigning for democracy and human rights.

Grant Shapps: We remain deeply concerned about the deaths that followed the student protests in early May 2014 in Oromiya State in Ethiopia, and have raised our concerns with the authorities at the highest levels. We sought assurances that any members of the security forces who are found to have used excessive force are held to account, and that measures will be put in place to avoid further such incidents.The UK Government takes allegations of human rights abuses very seriously. We regularly raise democracy and human rights concerns , including at the highest level of the Ethiopian Government.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what work her Department is undertaking to encourage the development of democracy and political rights in Ethiopia.

Grant Shapps: DFID and FCO Ministers and officials regularly raise concerns about democracy and human rights with the relevant authorities, at the highest level of the Ethiopian Government. In light of the results of the parliamentary elections earlier this year, UK ministers urged the Ethiopian government to explore ways to increase the diversity of political parties in future parliaments, and to ensure those who voted for other parties this time still feel their voice is heard.HMG has a number of programmes that support civil and political rights in Ethiopia, including a DFID civil society support programme, and a recently established joint programme with the FCO to support strengthening in democratic governance. We are currently supporting an initiative to engage civil society in a review of Ethiopia’s progress with implementation of recommendations from the May 2014 Universal Periodic Review, (the Universal Periodic Review is a United Nations Human Rights Council mechanism designed to improve the human rights situation on the ground in UN member states).Ethiopia remains one of the world’s poorest countries, with around 25 million people living in extreme poverty. In the last five years, with UK support, Ethiopia has reduced child mortality by a quarter, put four million more children in primary school and protected almost eight million people from needing humanitarian food aid. A healthier, better educated population will be more able to participate in society and contribute to the progress and development of that country.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support people in Pakistan who are creating safe spaces for the discussion of liberal Islam

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID supports the rights of all groups to follow their religious faith and to live safe lives. Wherever possible, our programmes in Pakistan promote diversity and tolerance. For example, our work with civil society groups focus on strengthening the political voice of excluded groups and providing them with better access to justice. Our education programmes in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces support the implementation of Pakistan’s 2006 reformed curriculum which teaches religious tolerance and respect for diversity.The Government of Pakistan has publicly recognised the problems facing minorities and the need to bring an end to religious persecution. We remain fully committed to working in partnership with them to achieve this and raise these issues regularly with the Government of Pakistan. Most recently the Head of DFID Pakistan raised this issue in October as part of the bilateral assistance talks.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of (a) the Ethiopian government's commitment to extending political rights and (b) the effect of UK aid in encouraging extension of those rights.

Grant Shapps: Our aid relationship with any government is based on an assessment of commitment to our partnership principles, including to human rights and international obligations. DFID works closely with FCO to conduct regular assessments of the Government of Ethiopia’s commitment to political rights.In light of the results of parliamentary elections this year, the UK is encouraging Ethiopia to find ways to increase the diversity of political parties in future parliaments, and to ensure those who voted for other parties still feel their voices are being heard.The UK has a number of programmes that support civil and political rights in Ethiopia, including a DFID civil society support programme, and a joint programme with the FCO to support strengthening in democratic governance.Ethiopia remains one of the world’s poorest countries, with around 25 million people living in extreme poverty. In the last five years, with UK support, Ethiopia has reduced child mortality by a quarter, put four million more children in primary school and protected almost eight million people from needing humanitarian food aid.

Israel: Overseas Aid

Suella Fernandes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will provide funding to support the work of the Save a Child's Heart charity in Holon, Israel.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID does not currently fund Save the Child’s Heart charity in Holon, Israel. Any future funding decisions will be informed by an assessment of need and where DFID can most effectively contribute in the OPTs. DFID is providing £349 million in support of Palestinian development from 2011-15. DFID’s bilateral Palestinian programme contributes to UK policy objectives of a negotiated two-state solution.

Lebanon: Refugees

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the refugee crisis in Lebanon.

Mr Desmond Swayne: To date, the UK has pledged over £1.1 billion in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, with £304 million being allocated to meet the immediate needs of refugees and to support host communities in Lebanon. This makes us the second largest bilateral donor after the US.As part of the No Lost Generation initiative, DFID has pledged a total of £80 million of this allocation to support education in Lebanon, including support for the Lebanese Government’s ‘Reaching All Children with Education’ RACE scheme toexpand the public education systemto include an additional 200,000 Syrian refugees and improve the quality for Lebanese students.DFID also works in Lebanon to alleviate the impact of the humanitarian crisis through advocacy focused on civilian and refugee protection, humanitarian access for aid, and improving the effectiveness and funding of the international response.For more information and to stay up to date with what DFID is doing in response to the Syria crisis in Lebanon and across the region, please see https://www.gov.uk/government/news/syria-the-latest-updates-on-uk-aid.

HM Treasury

Treasury: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants of his Department are members of trades unions; how many working hours of facility time are taken by such civil servants; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that facility time to his Department.

Harriett Baldwin: Information relating to the number of HM Treasury staff who are members of Trade Unions is a matter for the relevant trade unions.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time.

Welfare Tax Credits

Stewart McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the quality of the information available for HM Revenue and Customs claimants to distinguish between genuine communications from Concentrix and phishing scams.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) undertakes a wide range of work to protect customers from websites which attempt to unlawfully obtain information. This includes:maintaining a portfolio of domains which could be used to confuse customersproactively monitoring the internet daily to identify sites which infringe on the brand, and taking appropriate legal action against themproviding a mailbox service for the reporting of suspected phishing emails and websites.  HMRC's pages on GOV.UK make clear that Concentrix works on behalf of HMRC, and that some tax credits customers will receive a letter showing both logos. Neither HMRC, nor agencies working for HMRC, will ever ask for online banking or other information via email or over the phone that would enable an unauthorised person to access bank accounts or otherwise commit fraud.

Treasury: Senior Civil Servants

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of senior civil servants from his Department are from a lower socio-economic background.

Harriett Baldwin: In September 2014 The Government published data on the socio-economic status of recent entrants to the SCShttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/359079/socialmobility_revised.pdfThere is an ongoing review into the most effective and appropriate definition for social mobility which we will align with in future years. This work is being led by The Bridge Group, a charitable policy association promoting social mobility, as part of research they are undertaking on social mobility in the Fast Stream. The Outcome of this review will also inform future datacollection on socio-economic status more widely and assist us in our further efforts to increase representation of people from less well-off backgrounds at all levels within the civil service.

Working Tax Credit: EU Nationals

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12792, for what reason the nationality of EU citizens in receipt of working tax credits is not recorded; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Nationality is not a condition of entitlement to tax credits. The information requested is, therefore, not available.

Debts

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce average household debt.

Harriett Baldwin: Household debt as a proportion of income has fallen to 144 per cent in Q2 2015, from a peak of 168 per cent in Q1 2008. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past we have created the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England, to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole are identified, monitored and effectively addressed.

Veterans: Welfare Tax Credits

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of armed forces veterans are in receipt of tax credits.

Damian Hinds: I refer the member to the answer I provided on 28 October 2015 to question 25228:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons&use-dates=True&uin=13031

Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking encourage the Prudential Regulation Authority to assist credit unions in expanding the services they offer to their members; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is responsible for the prudential regulation and supervision of credit unions. It has a general objective to promote the safety and soundness of the firms it regulates and a secondary objective to facilitate effective competition.The PRA is an independent non-governmental body and, although the Treasury sets the legal framework for all regulation, it has strictly limited powers in relation to the regulators. However, last year the Government asked the PRA to use the evidence gathered from the Government’s Call for Evidence on Credit Unions to inform their 2015 review of the Credit Union Sourcebook (CREDS).The PRA have confirmed that they have taken into account the feedback received by HM Treasury in response to the Call for Evidence when formulating suggested reforms to CREDS.The PRA’s reforms seek to establish a more risk-based and flexible framework for credit union regulation, which imposes higher expectations for more sophisticated activity. The PRA recognises the unique structure and important role credit unions play in their local communities and is proposing to reform the rules to better reflect their evolving but distinctive business model.The PRA are looking to adjust the regulation so that rules around investments, capital levels and reporting requirements will be determined by looking at the risk profile and business model of the credit union. Existing rigid restrictions will be removed, giving credit union boards more freedom to decide how their businesses are to be run.

Natural Resources

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will (a) incorporate natural capital into the national infrastructure plan, (b) take steps to ensure that new man-made infrastructure projects do not deplete the UK's natural capital asset base and (c) prioritise investment in natural capital.

Greg Hands: The government recognises the value of natural capital to the country’s long-term economic growth. We do not currently agree that an investment programme for natural capital should explicitly feature in the National Infrastructure Plan. We do, however, strive for all publically funded infrastructure investments to make a positive contribution to protecting and enhancing our natural environment. For example, the Roads Investment Strategy has ring-fenced £225 million in an Environment Fund and £75 million in an Air Quality Fund to ensure more is done to limit the impact of the Strategic Roads Network on the environment.As specific decisions on spending allocations in this Parliament will be set out following the Spending Review later this month, I cannot yet comment on future investment in natural capital. However, the government takes natural capital very seriously. We have set long term-goals to stop the decades of decline in wildlife and habitats, and have already seen some improvements. Since 2010 we have helped to create over 150,000 acres of field margins, wetlands and woodlands, and woodland cover is at its highest level in 700 years.

Natural Resources

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to assess, mitigate and monitor macro-economic risks associated with trends in (a) environmental degradation, (b) resource scarcity, (c) climate change and (d) other aspects of the natural environment.

Greg Hands: HM Treasury regularly undertakes activities to monitor and assess key macroeconomic risks across all sectors of the economy, in line with current priorities.The Treasury also feeds into the wider work on environmental risks that is undertaken across government: and in particular, through consideration of the analysis, advice and recommendations of the Natural Capital Committee which reports to the government, including HM Treasury, via the Economic Affairs Committee. The NCC’s work includes assessments of environmental trends and their impacts on the economy. The government’s response to the NCC’s third State of Natural Capital Report sets out how this work will be taken forward, including through the development of a 25 Year Environment Plan which will focus on those environmental assets that are most vulnerable to unsustainable use and where investment will deliver the greatest benefit.The Treasury is working closely with Defra to develop this plan.Departments also work together on the UK contribution to the activities of the EU Raw Materials Initiative, which includes ongoing work that assesses and mitigates materials risks. Additionally, under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government has a statutory role to produce, on a five-yearly cycle, an assessment of the risks and opportunities for the UK arising from climate change. Reporting under the Adaptation Reporting Power (as set out under the Climate Change Act), allows us to assess how key sectors are identifying risks from climate change and addressing them.

Natural Resources

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what work his Department is undertaking to contribute to the development of the Government's 25 year plan for nature.

Greg Hands: HM Treasury is working closely with Defra and other Government Departments on the development of the 25 Year Environment Plan. A cross-Government group, which includes Treasury officials, will ensure the Plan reflects the full breadth of relevant policy interests and levers that influence the environment.

Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government's report, Fixing the Foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm9098, published July 2015, what steps he has taken to increase the quantity and quality of apprenticeships in accordance with that report's recommendations.

Greg Hands: Almost 2.4 million apprenticeship starts were delivered in the last Parliament and we will build on that success and deliver 3 million in this Parliament. We will introduce an apprenticeship levy to increase employer investment in apprenticeships. We are increasing the quality of apprenticeships through more rigorous assessment and grading at the end of the apprenticeship. The Enterprise Bill will protect the term ‘apprenticeship’ in law to prevent misuse. From next April, employers of apprentices under the age of 25 will no longer be required to pay National Insurance contributions for those employees.

Business: Taxation

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish his Department's Business Tax Roadmap.

Mr David Gauke: The Government will publish a Business Tax Roadmap by April 2016, setting out plans for business taxes over the rest of the parliament. This will give businesses the certainty they need to plan long-term investment.

Infrastructure

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish an update on the delivery of the National Infrastructure Plan.

Greg Hands: The Government continues to track the status of nationally significant infrastructure projects and programmes in the National Infrastructure Pipeline, which underpins the National Infrastructure Plan. In July 2015, the Government published a refresh of the National Infrastructure Pipeline containing details on the status of UK infrastructure projects.Over 2,650 projects were completed in the last Parliament and a number of priority projects have been completed since the last National Infrastructure Plan was published, including Manchester Victoria station and Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2.

UK Economic Statistics Independent Review

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the interim recommendations of Sir Charles Bean's review of the quality, delivery and governance of local statistics.

Harriett Baldwin: The independent review of UK economic statistics will publish interim recommendations for the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister for the Cabinet Office in autumn 2015. A final report will be published at Budget 2016.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department allocated to pay staff of HM Revenue and Customs to deal with enquiries from hon. Members relating to constituents' concerns about tax credits in (a) 2015-16 and (b) each of the three previous years.

Damian Hinds: I refer the member to the answer I provided on 30 October 2015 to question 13346:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=13346

Non-domestic Rates: Parking

Michelle Donelan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the effect on revenue to the Exchequer of allowing devolved local authorities to keep 100 per cent of the business rates raised from car parks in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) Wiltshire in each of the next three years.

Greg Hands: On 5th October we announced plans to reform business rates in England, a change that will see local government retaining all revenue for the first time since 1990. The new powers will come with new responsibilities and the phasing out of grants from Whitehall to ensure that the reforms are fiscally neutral. Over the course of the next eighteen months we will be working with local government on the details of the scheme. Ahead of final decisions, it is too early to assess what the impact will be on individual areas.

Manufacturing Industries

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to encourage manufacturing.

Harriett Baldwin: Our long term economic plan is working, with the UK growing faster than any other major economy in 2013 and 14. But job is not done, which is why we are working with industry to drive innovation and lead the global race in technology, engineering and manufacturing.To encourage investment in manufacturing and the economy as a whole, the Government has announced an increase in the permanent level of Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) from £25,000 to £200,000 from 1 January 2016. This incentivises investment in plant and machinery, and SMEs will benefit disproportionately.Catapult centres are further supporting the UK’s manufacturing productivity and competitiveness, facilitating collaboration and boosting inward investment. £300m has been invested in manufacturing through the High Value Manufacturing Catapult network and over the last year it has worked with over 1,650 private sector clients on over 1,300 projects.

Estate Agents: Money Laundering

Bill Wiggin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce red tape affecting estate agents subject to the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government's Anti-Money Laundering regime has a clear aim: to make the UK financial system a hostile environment for illicit finances, whilst minimising the burden on legitimate businesses and reducing the overall burden of regulation.With this in mind, the Government has launched a review of the impact on business of the current anti-money laundering and terrorist finance regime as part of the Cutting Red Tape Review programme. The call for evidence from all parties closes on 6th November and the Review is specifically seeking evidence on the role of supervisors in that regime, so that regulatory activity can be made as efficient as possible. The Review will examine the potential to improve compliance and efficiency, by identifying aspects of the supervisory regime that appear to businesses in the regulated sector to be unclear or unnecessarily cumbersome.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil servants of his Department are members of trades unions; how many working hours of facility time are taken by such civil servants; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that facility time to his Department.

Andrew Selous: It is no longer possible for the department to verify the numbers of staff that are currently trade union members; this information can now only be obtained directly from the trade unions.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

Domestic Violence and Offences against Children: Court Orders

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complainers have had agreed special measures applied in court in cases of (a)childhood abuse and (b) domestic abuse in the last five years.

Mike Penning: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service does not collect this data.

Prisoners: EU Nationals

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which three EU countries have the largest number of foreign nationals in UK prisons; and how many such prisoners there are from each of those countries.

Andrew Selous: The three EU countries with the largest number of foreign national offenders in prison are; Poland 951, Ireland 783 and Romania 629 as of 30th September 2015 last published figures.The EU Prisoner Transfer Agreement is beginning to take effect. Poland has a derogation until the end of December 2016 from the agreement to allow time to improve their prisons.

Prisoners' Release

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will request that the Parole Board publish the basis on which it took the decision to release Harry Roberts from prison in October 2014.

Andrew Selous: The decision to release Roberts was made by the independent Parole Board based on the risk presented by him. It is not appropriate for Ministers to interfere with decisions of the Parole Board to release an offender, or to seek disclosure of the Board’s reasoning.Since Roberts’ release, the Government has changed the law so that the sentencing starting point is a whole life order for anyone who is over age 21 and convicted of the murder of a police or prison officer.

Prime Minister

National Security

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Prime Minister, what definition he uses of the term the most extreme circumstances of self-defence; if he will provide examples of situations which would meet that definition; and whether a (a) pre-emptive and (b) retaliatory nuclear attack on another state would be covered by that definition.

Mr David Cameron: I have nothing further to add.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Business: Proof of Identity

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department gives to businesses on providing proof of their identity when they contact customers (a) online and (b) by telephone.

Mr Edward Vaizey: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 03 November 2015.The correct answer should have been:

Organisationsincludingthe Federation of Small Business, the British Chamber of Commerce and theConfederation of British Industryoffer advice to small and medium-sized businesses on best practice when contacting customers. Weencourage all businesses to have procedures in place to identify themselves when interacting with customers, whether by phone, online or in person. This is vital for consumer confidence and trust.We encourage all businesses to have procedures in place to identify themselves when interacting with customers, whether by phone, online or in person. This is vital for consumer confidence and trust. Organisations including the Federation of Small Business, the British Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry offer advice to small and medium-sized businesses on best practice when contacting customers.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Organisationsincludingthe Federation of Small Business, the British Chamber of Commerce and theConfederation of British Industryoffer advice to small and medium-sized businesses on best practice when contacting customers. Weencourage all businesses to have procedures in place to identify themselves when interacting with customers, whether by phone, online or in person. This is vital for consumer confidence and trust.We encourage all businesses to have procedures in place to identify themselves when interacting with customers, whether by phone, online or in person. This is vital for consumer confidence and trust. Organisations including the Federation of Small Business, the British Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry offer advice to small and medium-sized businesses on best practice when contacting customers.

Nuisance Calls

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with (i) telecoms companies, (ii) consumer groups and (iii) other interested parties regarding nuisance calls in the last 12 months.

Mr Edward Vaizey: It is unacceptable for consumers to be harassed by nuisance calls, and the Government takes this issue very seriously. We have strengthened the law and made it easier for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to take enforcement action, and have removed the fine cap for clamping down on those breaking the rules. We will soon be launching a consultation on proposals to legally mandate Calling Line Identification (CLI) for all direct marketing calls. We are encouraging the development of more innovative products to help consumers block unwanted calls, and have launched a competition fund with Innovate UK to achieve this.Over the last 12 months the Secretary of State has had regular meetings with stakeholders covering various issues including nuisance calls. The Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy held a nuisance calls roundtable with a range of stakeholders including telecommunication companies, consumer groups and other interested parties. Officials hold regular meetings with stakeholders including Which?, Ofcom and the ICO.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance: City of Westminster

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will request from Maximus a report on (a) the number of employment support allowance claimants in the City of Westminster who have been sent a letter mandating them to attend a Work Programme interview that includes incorrect email contact details and (b) the steps taken since that error was identified to ensure that it is remedied.

Priti Patel: Of the overall total number of Initial Appointment letters sent out during the period 16/10/2013 – 19/08/2015 there are 169 customers with a Westminster postcode that could have had these letters sent to them with the incorrect Maximus e-mail address.Maximus have confirmed that the letter in question was originally created on 16/10/2013 for customers referred from City of Westminster. Customers affected will be those referred to Work Programme who have a Westminster postcode only.Maximus became aware of this letter containing an error via a customer complaint on 18/08/2015 and had resolved the issue by 19/08/2015 there is therefore no need to publish a report. Maximus has also set up an email address so that any customer responses sent to the incorrect address will be forwarded to the correct email address from 19/08/2015. Maximus are confident that they have remedied this unfortunate mistake.

Universal Credit: Living Wage

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people in work expected to be in receipt of universal credit currently receive less than the proposed National Living Wage.

Priti Patel: DWP does not have estimates of the salaries of people who are forecast to be on Universal Credit in the future.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the universal credit programme was subject to Project Assessment Reviews instead of Gateway Reviews.

Priti Patel: The Department is following the procedures for the assurance and support of major projects outlined in ‘HM Treasury the Major Project approval and assurance guidance’ introduced from April 2011. More details can be found in the link below.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/179763/major_projects_approvals_assurance_guidance.PDF.pdf

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Slaughterhouses: CCTV

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with animal welfare groups on the mandatory use of CCTV in slaughterhouses.

George Eustice: On 3/2/15, the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) published a report entitled “Opinion on CCTV in slaughterhouses”. I have had discussions with a number of animal welfare groups on the topic.

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.

Rory Stewart: The European Commission is running a REFIT Fitness Check of the Habitats and Wild Birds Directives. This is an evidence-based assessment of the Directives’ effectiveness and efficiency.Defra supports the Fitness Check as a normal part of good policymaking and is fully engaged with the review. Our contribution to the evidence gathering process is available online here:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/fitness_check/evidence_gathering/index_en.htm.

Squirrels

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to control the population of grey squirrels; and if she will hold discussions with shooting organisations on their potential role in such control.

Rory Stewart: In December 2014 Defra and the Forestry Commission published an updated grey squirrel action plan for England. This reaffirms the Government’s commitment to working with land owners and other organisations as part of a reinforced package of measures to support targeted grey squirrel control. The action plan includes:Additional measures in forestry options of Countryside Stewardship for land managers to control grey squirrels (not just in red squirrel areas but in woodlands where squirrels are a threat to management plan objectives).Plans for a national squirrel partnership to help local groups outside of grant schemes.Support for research and evidence (for example squirrel pox vaccine and fertility control work).Taking action on its land holding (the public forest estate).Defra is also one of 32 signatories to the UK Squirrel Accord, which aims to bring a concerted and coordinated approach to securing the future of our red squirrels and woodlands, and to controlling the introduced grey squirrel. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) is also a signatory and a meeting of all the signatories is planned for 10 November.

Agriculture: Wildlife

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote wildlife-friendly farming practices.

George Eustice: Agri-environment schemes play a major role in the conservation of wildlife in England. More than £900 million will be available for Countryside Stewardship for 2014 to 2020.Biodiversity is one of the main objectives of Countryside Stewardship. The Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package options within the scheme will be of particular benefit to wild pollinators, farmland birds and other species. The package will play a key role in supporting Defra’s National Pollinator Strategy.

Timber: Imports

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent illegal timber entering Europe.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help achieve a 100 per cent legal and sustainable timber trade in the UK by 2020.

Rory Stewart: Defra is committed to tackling the trade in illegal timber. We implemented the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which makes it an offence to place illegally logged timber on the EU market for the first time, and the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation, which aims to combat illegal logging and improve the supply of legal timber to the EU. The EU FLEGT Regulation establishes Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between the EU and timber producing countries. Once VPAs have been agreed, timber producing countries will issue exports with a ‘FLEGT licence’ which verifies the timber’s legality.The Government’s Timber Procurement Policy also requires Government Departments, Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies to procure timber and timber products that are both legal and sustainable.Domestic forests provide about 20% of the UK’s timber needs. They are managed in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard, the reference standard for sustainable forest management in the UK. Moreover, about 85% of UK timber production is independently certified, providing additional assurances of sustainability. We are strongly supportive of initiatives such as Grown in Britain, which create new sustainably managed woodland to increase the supply of British timber destined for use by local people and businesses. Timber and wood products labelled with the Grown in Britain logo are from trees and forests assured as compliant with the UK Forestry Standard.I welcome the fact that UK companies and other bodies are making similar commitments to trade in both legal and sustainable timber by signing up to WWF’s Forest Campaign.

Greyhounds: Animal Welfare

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many greyhounds have been euthanized upon completion of their racing career in each of the last five years.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at what intervals her Department receives accident and injury data on (a) racing and (b) retired greyhounds from (i) the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and (ii) individual greyhound tracks.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of greyhounds which retired from racing in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Under the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, there is no statutory requirement on any greyhound organisation or individual track to report any figures to Defra. The Regulations have now been in force for five years and Defra is currently undertaking a review of their effectiveness. The review is looking at the requirement on tracks to collect injury statistics and how they are then used; and the traceability of greyhounds after they have left the sport. Defra intends to consult on the initial findings of the review.

Non-native Species

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13690, what estimate she has made of the cost of implementing her Department's Great Britain Invasive Non-native Species Strategy, published August 2015; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The aim of the GB Strategy is to avoid the environmental, social and economic impacts of invasive non-native species by taking early and targeted action. An implementation plan associated with the renewed Strategy includes an assessment of the costs associated with communicating the need for action, rapid responses to avoid higher costs if species become established, and the costs of managing widespread established species to minimise their impacts where possible. A prioritisation exercise that will form the basis of the assessment of costs will be completed by the end of November.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) licensed and (b) unlicensed dog breeders operating in the UK.

George Eustice: No recent estimate has been made by Defra, but Battersea Dogs and Cats Home recently estimated that there are 895 licensed dog breeders in Great Britain.

Dangerous Dogs

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of dogs that have been put to sleep for meeting the physical characteristics of a banned breed under section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last five years.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to dog legislation officers on enforcing section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 on the number of pitbull terriers in the UK.

George Eustice: No estimate has been made of the number of dogs humanely destroyed under section 1 of the 1991 Act. There are 3,222 dogs on the list of exempted section 1 dogs in Great Britain. These are dogs assessed by the courts not to be a danger to public safety including, since 13 May 2014 in relation to England and Wales, assessed as being in the charge of a fit and proper person. Guidance for enforcers of the law on dangerous dogs was issued in March 2009 and is available on line via the link below.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69263/dogs-guide-enforcers.pdf

Home Office

Airports: Travel Requirements

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arrived at UK airports without travel documents in the last year for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: This information is not held centrally. However, total numbers of refusals at the border are published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015/list-of-tables#admissions



Refusals at the borders
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.5 KB)

Immigration: Applications

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that assessments of applications for leave to remain in the UK provide sufficient personal consideration to meet the individual needs of applicants.

James Brokenshire: The Immigration Rules provide designated routes through which individuals can choose to apply for leave to remain in the UK depending on their circumstances. The requirements of each route are set out in published guidance. It is for individuals to raise any grounds that they wish to be considered and provide any supporting evidence regarding their personal circumstances.Applications for leave to remain in the UK are considered on a case-by-case basis, including any claims about personal issues, in accordance with the relevant Immigration Rules and the Secretary of State’s published guidance on the application of these.

Visas: Dependants

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people who left the UK as a result of failing to obtain an Adult Dependent Relative visa for a relative in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012, (f) 2013 and (g) 2014.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for Adult Dependent Relative visas were refused in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012, (f) 2013 and (g) 2014.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people entered the UK on an Adult Dependent Relative visa in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012, (f) 2013 and (g) 2014.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 23 October 2015



The requested information is not available. Applications from adult dependent relatives of a British Citizen or a settled person in the UK are included in the category ‘Family: Other (for immediate settlement)’ in the published entry clearance visa tables but cannot be identified separately. The latest published figures for the ‘Family: Other (for immediate settlement)’ category are given in the table below.Entry clearance visa applications and resolution: Family: Other (for immediate settlement)YearApplicationsResolvedGranted%Refused%Withdrawn or lapsed20083,2883,3361,30739%1,98760%4220092,6192,5961,14844%1,41254%3620102,2052,5091,25850%1,22449%2720111,8371,8571,10960%72839%2020121,7251,91584544%1,04555%2520131,2181,56348831%1,06168%1420141,0011,27737730%88169%19The Home Office publishes quarterly statistics on entry clearance visa applications and resolutions by category in table vi_01_q (Entry clearance visas tables volume 1) within the Immigration Statistics release. The published statistics do not distinguish between applications made and decided under the family Immigration Rules in force before and from 9 July 2012. Grants and other case resolutions do not necessarily correspond to an application made in the same period.A copy of the latest release, “Immigration Statistics April to June 2015”, is available from the Library of the House and from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseInformation on passenger arrivals does not separately identify adult dependent relatives. Information on emigration from the UK is the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics.

Refugees: China

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Chinese nationals currently have refugee status.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold figures on the total number of people with refugee status.The Home Office publishes annual and quarterly statistics on grants of asylum and other forms of protection, and those resettled under the Gateway Protection Programme, Mandate and Vulnerable Persons Relocation Schemes.These statistics are published quarterly in tables as_01 and as_19_q of the Immigration Statistics release, which is available online via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015/asylum#data-tables

Passports: Applications

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of fast-track passport applications made in the last six months have been processed within seven days.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 27 October 2015



The information requested is shown in the following table. Her Majesty’s Passport Office has met its published target for Fast Track passport applications for each of the last 6 months.Passport applications: Fast-Track 7 days MonthWithin 7 daysTotal Fast-Track applications% Within targetApr-1528,38928,39299.99%May-1534,45534,46199.98%Jun-1540,15040,15999.98%Jul-1550,36950,371100.00%Aug-1539,12539,12999.99%Sep-1523,95123,95799.97%

Radicalism

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the criteria are for choosing the credible commentators referred to in paragraph 46 of her Department's Counter-Extremism Strategy, published on 19 October 2015.

Karen Bradley: We have taken the question to mean the credible commentators referred to in paragraph 65 of the Counter-Extremism Strategy. We are determining the requirements and precise funding allocation for research to be commissioned. We will be working closely with a range of experts, including academics and universities, to improve our understanding of extremism. Opportunities for part-funded research will be allocated competitively.

Radicalism

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will provide information on the (a) age, (b) race, (c) gender, (d) religion and (e) region of residence of the 700 individuals referred to in paragraph 88 of her Department's Counter-Extremism Strategy, published on 19 October 2015.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office intends to publish Channel data in the near future.

British Nationality

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to arrange for a review of the operation of her powers under Section 40, Subsection 4A of the British Nationality Act 1981.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their British citizenship removed under (a) section 40, Subsection 4A of the British Nationality Act 1981 since 27 July 2014 and (b) section 40, subsection (i) 2 and (ii) 3 of the British Nationality Act 1981 in each of the past five years.

James Brokenshire: The number of people who have been deprived of citizenship under section 40 subsections (2), (3) and (4A) in each of the last 5 years is as follows:YearSection 40(2)Section 40(3)Section 40(4A)201050-201160-201251-2013810-20144150This information has been provided from local management information and is not a national statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.The Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, David Anderson QC, is currently undertaking the review of the operation of the power under Section 40(4A) of the British Nationality Act 1981, as required by section 40B of the Act.

Immigrants: Dependants

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing parents over the age of 65 to emigrate to the UK as adult dependents.

James Brokenshire: The family Immigration Rules implemented in July 2012 require non-European Economic Area national adult dependants, including parents and grandparents, to demonstrate that they require a level of long-term personal care that can only be provided in the UK by their sponsor here. The route now provides for those most in need of care, but not for those who would simply prefer to live in the UK, given the significant NHS and social care costs to which these cases can give rise. Adult relatives can continue to visit a family member in the UK for up to six months but must return home at the end of their visit.

Asylum: Afghanistan

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) forced and (b) voluntary former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children returnees were not accepted by Afghanistan and sent back to the UK in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) 2015 to date.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 29 October 2015



The information that has been requested is not recorded by the Department.

Undocumented Migrants

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the success of her Department's policies in supporting the UK Border Force to tackle illegal immigration into the UK.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 29 October 2015



Ensuring the security of the UK’s borders and tackling illegal immigration is a priority for the Government. We keep all policies under review to ensure effectiveness.The new Immigration Bill contains measures designed to reform the UK’s immigration system, to prevent abuse and the flouting of the law by people who should not be here. The Bill will help secure the border, support working people, clamp down on illegal immigration and protect our public services, and tackle the exploitation of low-skilled workers and increase sanctions for those involved in such practices.

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre: Pregnant Women

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant women are detained at Yarl's Wood.

James Brokenshire: Although we are now recording management information on the number of women who have disclosed their pregnancy to the Home Office, collection of data about the detention of pregnant women will be limited.We will not necessarily be aware that a woman is pregnant unless she chooses to make this known to us and a woman may not know herself that she is pregnant when she enters detention. It may not always be appropriate for healthcare professionals to disclose information that the patient has asked not to be disclosed.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Syrian refugee (a) adults and (b) children in Calais who plan to enter the UK.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 30 October 2015



The management of the migrant camps in Calais is the responsibility of the French Government.The French Government has recently stated that there are approximately 6,000 migrants living in makeshift camps in the Calais area. The UK Government is unable to accurately estimate the breakdown of the nationalities and ages of the various migrants that are currently residing in Calais.

Visas: Married People

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many spousal visa applications in which the sponsoring partner resided in Scotland have been (a) submitted and (b) refused in each year since 2012.

James Brokenshire: Information relating to the residence of sponsors is not available from centrally collated statistical databases, and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost by examination of tens of thousands of individual case files.

Home Office: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants of her Department are members of trades unions; how many working hours of facility time are taken by such civil servants; and what estimate she has made of the cost of that facility time to her Department.

Karen Bradley: Trade union membership is a matter between the individual member and their trade union. We do not hold current details of the number of staff within the Home Office who subscribe to a trade union.We provide quarterly returns to the Cabinet Office on the number of staff who are trade union representatives and who take paid facility time and the associated cost to the Department. These are then published as transparency data on Gov.uk. The last published data, covering the quarter from 1 October 2014 to 31 December 2014, shows that the cost to the Department of facility time for 334 union representatives was 0.08% of the total paybill, which is within the Cabinet Office guideline of 0.1% of paybill.

Home Office: Staff

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 11793, how many full-time equivalent staff her Department allocated to responding to North West of England hon. Members' enquiries on their constituents' immigration issues on 1 September (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014 and (d) 2015.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 30 October 2015



As stated in my previous reply of 22 October to Question 11793, it is not possible to provide the Hon. Member with all the information requested as it is not readily available or held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.UKVI requires many of its staff, as part of their roles, to contribute to dealing with immigration enquiries from Members. This can include providing contributions to Parliamentary Questions, Ministerial briefing or for a Select Committee hearing. Since 1 September 2015, UKVI has had dedicated MP Account Management teams whose job is to handle MP enquiries relating to their constituents.The team designated to responding to members from the North West of England has a total of 9.8 full-time equivalent staff.Other members of staff will also contribute to the preparation of responses.The North West MP Account Manager team has performed at a high level and the results will shortly be seen following via the Member of Parliament satisfaction survey results which will soon appear on the Gov.uk website.Published statistics confirm that UKVI’s overall service to Members has continually exceeded its service standard since Q4 2014. The Hon. Member can access this information at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-august-2015.

Overseas Students: India

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many students from India were granted a visa to study in Britain in 1990.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many students from India were granted a visa to study in Britain in 2000.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 02 November 2015



Due to a change of database in 2004, comparable data are not available for visas in years prior to 2004.In 2005, 18,857 Indian nationals were issued with study visas granting entry clearance to the UK.

Immigrants: Travel Requirements

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will reduce the cost of an application for a certificate of travel to the same levels as for a convention travel document.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost is to her Department of processing an application for a certificate of travel.

James Brokenshire: The estimated cost of processing a certificate of travel is currently £382 for those over the age of 16 and £244 for those under the age of 16.Fees for applications for certificates of travel reflect estimated processing costs. The Geneva Convention requires that Convention Travel Document fees must not exceed those for UK passports. Immigration and nationality fees are reviewed and updated annually and reflect changes in estimated costs and passport fees.

Organised Crime

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 12246, how many criminal operations have been smashed by the Organised Immigration Crime Task Force to date.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Judicial Review

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) search and (b) surveillance warrants issued by a judge have been subject to judicial review in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Babcock International

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements are in place to monitor Babcock's performance and safety record.

Mr Philip Dunne: Babcock is a key supplier to the Ministry of Defenceand the company's relationship with the Department is managed at a strategic level through a key supplier representative. This role is currently undertaken by the Chief of Materiel (Fleet) within Defence Equipment and Support, who engages with Babcock on a regular basis. Project and safety performance reviews form a significant element of these discussions.With regards to safety, appropriate measures are in place to reduce risk and these are rigorously monitored to ensure that any emerging issues are identified and addressed.

Rosyth Dockyard: Radioactive Waste

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to safely store or treat nuclear contaminated material arising from the decommissioning of nuclear-powered submarines at Rosyth by Babcock.

Mr Philip Dunne: All radioactive waste arising from the decommissioning of nuclear-powered submarines at Rosyth will be transported off-site either for recycling, direct disposal, or storage in an interim storage facility as part of the Submarine Dismantling Project.For certain components, a temporary holding facility may be required on site; this short-term holding and all other activities will be fully regulated by nuclear safety and environmental regulators.

RAF Waddington

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual running costs of RAF Waddington are; and what assessment he has made of RAF Waddington's contribution to the local economy.

Mark Lancaster: The annual infrastructure running costs for RAF Waddington in the Financial Year 2014-15 were £5,566,795. No assessment has been made of RAF Waddington's contribution to the local economy.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of his Department's likely civilian personnel strength on 1 April (a) 2016 and (b) 2020 for each top level budget.

Michael Fallon: Projected estimated civilian personnel strengths prior to any decisions in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, at 1 April 2016 and 1 April 2020 for each top level budget are as follows:1 April 20161 April 2020Navy Command4,7734,748Army Command14,15412,445Air Command4,1404,049Joint Forces Command8,0397,649Head Office & Corporate Services8,3558,192Defence Infrastructure Organisation5,3855,155

Trident

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department last completed an assessment of the whole life cost of the Successor programme.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 23 October 2015 to Question 12152.



Trident
(Word Document, 15.57 KB)

War Graves

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the annual average cost to the Ministry of Defence of (a) maintaining each grave for which it is responsible and (b) the value of the grant made to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in respect of each grave maintained by that Commission.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on transferring to that Commission responsibility for the maintenance of military graves currently maintained by his Department.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to transfer responsibility for military graves maintained by his Department to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Mark Lancaster: Discussions between Ministry Of Defence (MOD) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) are continuing regarding the transfer of maintenance responsibility for the graves of military personnel buried in the UK since 1948.Annual costs for the maintenance of each grave for which MOD is responsible are estimated to be between £65 and £205 depending on the location and condition of the grave. The MOD’s annual grant to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in respect of the graves they maintain is in excess of £47 million.

Syria: Military Intervention

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of UK military activity in Syria in the last 12 months.

Michael Fallon: The net additional cost of UK military activity in Syria is not separately identified from that of the broader countering ISIL activity in Iraq and Syria. The net additional cost of countering ISIL activity between August 2014 and 31 March 2015, was around £45 million, met from the Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP) and the HM Treasury Special Reserve. These details are published in the 2014-15 MOD Annual Report and Accounts.An initial £45 million has been requested in 2015-16 to meet the net additional costs of airstrikes in Iraq and airborne intelligence gathering operations in Iraq and Syria.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: I refer the hon Member to the answer given by my hon Friend, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Harriett Baldwin) on 2 November 2015.

Scotland Office: Publications

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what reason his Department's three most recently published quarterly returns were all published on the same day.

David Mundell: Transparency information for the period July 2014-March 2015 was published on 15 October as the information was ready for publication.

Voting Rights: Young People

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with (a) Ministers of the Scottish Government and (b) his Cabinet colleagues on reducing the voting age to 16 for all Scottish and UK elections.

David Mundell: The Scottish Parliament passed an Act to lower the voting age in those elections in June 2015.

Trade Union Bill: Scotland

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on the potential effects of the provisions of the Trade Union Bill in Scotland.

Anna Soubry: The Minister for Skills in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has had an exchange of correspondence on the Trade Union Bill with Roseanna Cunningham, Minister for Fair Work, Skills and Training.On 8 October, he also had a telephone conversation with Ms Cunningham that covered the Bill.On 7 September, he also met with the Scottish Trade Unions Congress to discuss the Bill.

Smith Commission

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of progress in meeting the recommendations of the Smith Commission; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier today to his hon Friend, the member for Lanark and Hamilton East.

Department for International Development: East Kilbride

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what contribution staff at the Department for International Development office in East Kilbride have made to the delivery of UK development policy over the last twelve months.

David Mundell: The 600 plus staff in DFID’s office in East Kilbride are an intrinsic part of the UK Government team delivering our £9.8 billion international development effort. They make a crucial contribution to improving the lives of millions of people in some of the poorest communities in the world.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how many working hours of facility time are taken by such civil servants; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that facility time to his Department.

Matthew Hancock: The number of civil servants who are trade union members is a matter for individual trade unions.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest published data is for Quarters 1-4, 2014 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

Commission on Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Independent Commission the Freedom of Information on the number of occasions it plans to meet in order to finalise its report.

Matthew Hancock: It is for the independent Commission on Freedom of Information to organise its programme of work.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for National Statistics plans to include in quarterly migration figures the number of Syrian refugees resettled in the UK under the Government's relocation scheme.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Migration Figures
(PDF Document, 183.25 KB)

Electronic Government: Cybercrime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what attacks have been made against the Government Gateway system to date.

Matthew Hancock: For security reasons we do not comment on specific details of unsuccessful cyber security attacks.

Government Departments: Procurement

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what circumstances major Government programmes are exempted from the requirement for Gateway Reviews.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Departments: Living Wage

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that no Department be permitted to (a) employ staff at wages below the living wage and (b) sign a contract with contractors who pay their staff less than the living wage.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on increasing the rate of employment in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England since 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Rate of Employment
(PDF Document, 109.58 KB)

Department for Education

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government response to the Report from the Education Select Committee, Life lessons: PSHE and SRE in schools, HC 145 of Session 2014-15, which was published in July 2015, cm 9121, which organisations and stakeholders referred to on page 9 of that response are being consulted in order to develop further measures to improve the quality of PHSE; whether such organisations and stakeholders include representatives of parent advocacy groups, faith groups and those involved in running faith schools; and if she will make a statement.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 9 of the Government Response to the Report of the Education Select Committee, Life lessons: PSHE and SRE in schools, HC 145 of Session 2014-15, which was published in July 2015, cm 9121, when she expects to report on progress of the quality of PSHE; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education is committed to considering the views of all stakeholders. As part of the inquiry into PSHE and SRE, the Education Select Committee sought evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including parent advocacy groups and faith groups. We are aware of the range of views about these subjects. We are currently working with a group of leading headteachers to improve the provision of PSHE in schools. We will consult directly with a wider group of stakeholders when appropriate.As stated in the government response to the Select Committee report, we will provide a progress update later this year.

Academies

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many English secondary schools belong to an academy trust which has more than one school.

Edward Timpson: As of 29 October 2015, there are 1,093 English schools which provide some form of secondary education and are part of academy trusts with more than one school.

Pupils: Absenteeism

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many fines for their child's non-attendance at school have been levied on parents in England in each year since 2005.

Nick Gibb: The number of penalty notices issued to parents for offences relating to Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996 in each academic year since 2004/05 is set out online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parental-responsibility-measures-academic-year-2012-to-2013.The most recent data published by the Department for Education is for the academic year 2012/13. The department does not collect data regarding fines issued by the courts on this matter.The Ministry of Justice publishes data on criminal justice system outcomes by offence in England and Wales. This information can be viewed at the following link under the offence category “112A Education Acts”:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

Health Education: Sex

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence she has received that sex and sexual relationships education in the primary years reduces the incidence of risky sexual behaviour, exploitation and abuse of children; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Department published ‘Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education: a review of impact and best practice’ in March 2015. The report highlighted evidence that good quality sex and relationship education (SRE) can have a protective function such as delaying initiation of sex, reducing frequency of sex or the number of sexual partners and increasing the use of condoms or other contraceptive measures. Allsex and relationship education should be age-appropriate and schools should ensure young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour.The report is published online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pshe-education-a-review-of-impact-and-effective-practice.

Children: Autism

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the education system.

Edward Timpson: The Children and Families Act 2014, which came into force in September 2014, introduced significant reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system. The new statutory framework ensures that support is focused on needs and aspirations, enabling all pupils, including those with autism, to achieve better outcomes in education and adult life.Changes to the SEND system since September 2014 include the publication of ‘local offers’ of SEND services by local authorities; the introduction of streamlined education, health and care needs assessments and plans; and new statutory protections for young people aged 16-25 in further education.The Act also makes provision to ensure that parents, children and young people are able to access impartial information, advice and support about the SEND system through a local, dedicated and easily identifiable service. Among other things, this service offers help in preparing for meetings with schools, health professionals, or other agencies.The Department’s Free Schools programme has seen nineteen special free schools open across the country. This includes several free schools that are specifically for children with Autism, such as the Rise free school in Hounslow, the Lighthouse free school in Leeds, and the National Autistic Society’s Church Lawton free school in Cheshire. There are a further eleven special free schools due to open in the future, five of which will specialise in provision for children with autism, including the Heartlands Autism free school in Haringey and a second National Autistic Society free school, the Vanguard free school in Lambeth. The other six will also offer some places for children with autism.The Department has contracted with the Autism Education Trust (2015-16) to deliver autism training to education professionals. The Trust has now trained almost 80,000 education staff since 2012. The Department is also providing grant funding for two additional projects (2015-16): a project by the National Autistic Society to provide information and advice to parents and professionals on exclusions; and a project by Ambitious about Autism on strategies for supporting the transition from school to college.

Pupils: Hyperactivity

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who have had a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in each local authority area were excluded from school in the last five years.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold information on the number of pupils excluded with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Primary Education: Languages

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to improve access to second language teaching in primary schools.

Nick Gibb: Since September 2014, maintained primary schools in England must teach a modern foreign or ancient language to pupils at key stage 2 (ages 7 to 11). Schools can choose which language or languages to teach and should enable pupils to make substantial progress in one language by the end of primary school.To support the introduction of a compulsory foreign language at key stage 2, the government is funding nine projects across the country to provide training for primary and secondary teachers. These projects bring together teaching school alliances, university-led consortia of schools, and a national organisation, the Association for Language Learning.In addition, the EBacc has had a positive effect on the take up of languages in schools, with a rise in the proportion of the cohort in state funded schools entered for a modern foreign language rising from 40% of pupils in 2010 to a provisional figure of 49% in 2015.

House of Commons Commission

Parliament: Internet

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will take steps to ensure that the parliament.uk website states the country in which hon. Members' constituencies are located.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health

Atrial Fibrillation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have received atrial fibrillation in the last five years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

Lyme Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with Lyme disease in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The total number of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease cases for each of the last five years is shown in Table 1.Table 1: Total number of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease cases for each of the last five years:YearTotal number of Lyme disease cases laboratory confirmed2010905201195920121,04020138782014735

Salt: Health Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to consume less salt.

Jane Ellison: New voluntary salt reduction targets have been developed for 76 specific food groups that contribute most to people’s salt intakes and major retailers, manufacturers and caterers are working to meet these targets by December 2017.Maximum per serving salt targets for the out of home sector (restaurants and caterers) have also been set, covering the 10 most popular dishes on menus and children’s meals, and these are being supported by further actions in this sector, including training chefs, reformulating dishes and procuring lower salt ingredients.The Front of Pack nutrition labelling scheme makes it easier for consumers, at a glance, to understand what they are buying and supports them to make healthier choices including reducing their intake of salt.

Perinatal Mortality

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it her policy to include stillbirths in the remit of Child Death Overview Panels.

Ben Gummer: Child Death Overview Panels are the responsibility of Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCBs). LSCBs in England have a responsibility under the Children Act 2004 to conduct child death reviews for all under 18s who die and who were normally resident in their area. They are required to collect and analyse information relating to the deaths in order to identify:- any cases which may also require a serious case review;- any matters affecting the safety and welfare of children in that area; and- any wider public health or safety concerns arising from a particular death or patterns of death.Stillbirths are not within their legal statutory remit set out in the Act and there are no plans to extend this remit.We are however committed to reducing the number of stillbirths and want England to achieve the lowest rate of stillbirth and neonatal death in the world. The Department is currently working in partnership with the stillbirth charity Sands, and a range of key organisations including NHS England to take forward a programme of work on stillbirth prevention. Reducing stillbirth and infant mortality and improving the safety of maternity services improvement areas for the NHS in the NHS Outcomes Framework. In addition, the Department provided start-up funding for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ ‘Each Baby Counts’ programme, which aims to reduce stillbirths, early neonatal deaths and brain injuries due to incidents in labour in the United Kingdom by 50% by 2020.

Health: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that young people exposed to unhealthily-thin models through advertisements are not subject to health problems relating to body image.

Alistair Burt: We want women, men, girls and boys to be confident and comfortable with their bodies and that means educating people and promoting a healthy, active lifestyle.The Government recognises that poor body image is a common problem not only for young people but, according to the findings of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image, more than half of the population. It is a factor in eating disorders and other mental health problems.The Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme is already being expanded to cover additional areas of clinical practice, and extended so that by 2018 children and young people across all of England will have access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services which have been transformed by CYP IAPT and are providing evidence based psychotherapies coupled with session by session outcome monitoring. Additionally we are investing in community services for eating disorders in order for young people to receive more effective help faster and closer to home.The Government has also worked with the Personal Social Health & Economic Association to produce guidance for teaching about body image using quality-assured resources, and with the National Citizen Service to produce resources on body image for young people aged 16-17 to develop their own active citizenship projects on this topic.

Diabetes

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to encourage clinically commissioning groups to share best practice in improving diabetes care outcomes.

Jane Ellison: The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Outcomes Indicator Set provides clear, comparative information for CCGs, Health and Wellbeing Boards, local authorities, patients and the public about the quality of health services commissioned by CCGs and the associated health outcomes. Through publicly sharing this information, CCGs and general practitioner practices can see where they stand in comparison with their peers and take action where improvement is needed.NHS England has also recently agreed to extend the roll out of its Right Care programme to all CCGs over the next four years. This will ensure that, where local diabetes services and outcomes are poorer compared to demographic peers, suitable improvement programmes will be implemented, with the learning shared across all CCGs.

Asbestos: Poisoning

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been treated for asbestos poisoning in the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold any data on the number of people treated for asbestos poisoning. The number of finished admission episodes (FAE) with a primary diagnosis of mesothelioma is shown in Table 1. Mesothelioma is a cancer that is closely associated with exposure to asbestos.Table 1YearFAEs2009-106,4632010-116,4882011-127,3482012-137,7112013-147,119Notes:Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorA finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

Eyesight: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in what age groups NHS England has treated for squints in the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Individuals with squints may be treated in either primary care or secondary care.It is not possible to identify those provided with glasses in primary care, funded by NHS England, to correct a squint.It is possible to identify those who had a Finished Admission Episode in secondary care, funded by clinical commissioning groups, with a diagnosis of squint and received corrective surgery. The table below, provided by the Health and Social Care Information centre, shows the number of these procedures, broken down by age, carried out in England between 2009-10 and 2013-14. This will not capture other patients seen in secondary care on an outpatient basis where surgery was not necessary.Age2009102010-112011-122012-132013-140-42,2122,1302,2412,1542,0645-92,6342,6352,8842,8863,04310-1480081179378485015-1954756960863561820-2444846948445641925-2945446345042147130-3440838741940545535-3943745241539336140-4443842239842342045-4935538337137141550-5430329831031634655-5927329028928029260-6427929326222529265-6918023823924528470-7414716016219721775-7911313213412613180+8773889496Unknown56433Total10,12010,21110,55110,41410,777Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information CentreNote: Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make the meningitis W vaccine available to all people on the NHS.

Jane Ellison: Immunisation against meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y (MenACWY) was added to the national immunisation programme in August 2015 following advice from the expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), in response to the rising number of meningococcal group W (MenW) cases.The JCVI advised routinely offering MenACWY conjugate vaccine to teenagers aged around 14 years, and a catch-up programme to vaccinate all teenagers aged 14 to 18 years of age. This is because teenagers are the main carriers of the meningococcal bacteria, and so vaccinating this group should not only provide direct protection against MenACWY for teenagers who are at increased risk of meningococcal disease but, since teenagers are the main carriers, will also reduce meningococcal carriage rates and offer indirect protection for the rest of the population in the longer term.The JCVI is keeping the situation under review, but has not advised vaccination of additional groups at this time. On the basis of this advice, we do not have any plans to offer MenACWY vaccination to other age groups at this time.

Activated Carbon

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to make activated charcoal available on the NHS to treat (a) alcoholism and (b) obesity.

Jane Ellison: It is for individual clinicians to make decisions on appropriate evidence based treatment together with the patient, taking into account any relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Epilepsy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each age group have been diagnosed with epilepsy in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with epilepsy on an annual basis is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises that epilepsy has been estimated to affect between 362,000 and 415,000 people in England and the incidence of epilepsy is estimated to be 50 per 100,000 per year.

Fats: Health Hazards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the prevalence of trans fats in food.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on measures to reduce the prevalence of trans fats in food.

Jane Ellison: There have been no discussions with the royal colleges on measures to reduce the prevalence of trans fats in food.Population average trans fats intakes account for 0.6-0.7% of food energy, which is well within the public health recommendation of 2% of food energy, and within the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 1%.Voluntary action by industry has been successful in removing artificial trans fats from a range of processed products. Over 70% of the retail and manufacturing market has committed to remove or not use artificial trans fats.The European Commission’s report on trans fats intakes across the European Union, which is due to be published in December 2015, will inform our future thinking on trans fats.

Depressive Illnesses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 to 24 have been diagnosed with depression in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally.

Dementia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the NHS takes to identify symptoms of dementia among elderly patients in hospital.

Jane Ellison: NHS England developed the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) framework for 2015/16 which contains a national goal on improving dementia care. The dementia CQUIN aims to help identify patients with dementia and other causes of cognitive impairment, alongside their other medical conditions and to prompt appropriate referral and follow up after they leave hospital.The three main aims of the CQUIN are to identify, assess and refer those presenting with symptoms of dementia. In order to identify individuals with dementia members of staff will ask members of the family or friends of a person admitted to hospital if the patient has suffered any problems with their memory in the last 12 months. If there is evidence to suggest a problem with their memory, that person will be given a dementia risk assessment and then based on the results of the assessment a referral would be made for further support either to a liaison team, a memory clinic or a general practitioner.

Castleman's Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with Castleman disease in each of the last five years.

George Freeman: Information on the number of diagnoses of Castleman disease is not held centrally.

Animal Products: Clones

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the sale of meat and milk from cloned animals.

Jane Ellison: The sale in the European Union of meat and milk from cloned animals is subject to risk assessment under the EU Novel Foods Regulation. These Regulations are currently being revised and have been discussed at a European Council Working Group level, where the Food Standards Agency represents the United Kingdom. The European Parliament has now voted in favour of maintaining the risk assessment of products from cloned animals under the Novel Food Regulations, and the Council is expected to be asked for its formal view shortly.The European Commission has put forward separate and more specific proposals on the cloning of farm animals and the food derived from them. The discussions on these proposals have yet to gain momentum.There is currently no authorisation for any meat or milk from cloned animals to be in the UK food chain.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 10693, what the rate of hospital admissions where the main reason for admission was alcohol-related was in each local authority area in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2011-12.

Jane Ellison: Alcohol-related hospital admissions for all local authorities are available via the Local Alcohol Profile for England (LAPE) tool at:http://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/local-alcohol-profilesThe tool holds annual data from 2008/09 to 2013/14.

Transvaginal Mesh Implants

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 6 May 2014 to Question 196742, what progress his Department has made on assessing the effectiveness of existing arrangements for reporting complications relating to transvaginal mesh implants; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The working group on vaginal tapes and mesh is now finalising its interim recommendations which NHS England expects to publish in November 2015, subject to its internal governance processes.However in the meantime the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has unified and simplified reporting under the Yellowcard reporting brand- All reporting under one page, promoted Yellow card reporting at conferences to increase awareness e.g. RCN Congress, NICE Annual Conference; created the role of Medical Device Safety Officers in conjunction with NHS England to promote local reporting and learning.As a result we have seen an increase in Member of Public reports relating to transvaginal mesh of 350% over 2014 so far (Table 2).The data below is taken from the Adverse Incident Tracking SystemTable 1: Adverse events reported to MHRA by health professionals concerning vaginal tape and mesh implants are as follows:Vaginal tapes for stress urinary incontinence 64/25Vaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse 64/25Vaginal mesh for unknown1 indication2011310201223312201327200201487471Up to September 2015504841 The reporter did not provide enough information on what type of mesh it was.Table 2: Adverse events reported to MHRA by patients/members of the public concerning vaginal tape and mesh implants are as follows:Vaginal tapes for stress urinary incontinenceVaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapseVaginal mesh for unknown1 indication201133732012262020133010320142230Up to September 2015681761 The reporter did not provide enough information on what type of mesh it was.

Mental Health Services: Cancer

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what budget in this financial year has been assigned to providing mental health services for patients coming to terms with cancer diagnoses.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not held, as there is no specific budget to provide mental health services to people with cancer that is reported nationally.The Independent Cancer Taskforce published its report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, in July this year. The mental health issues often experienced by those with cancer were highlighted in it. The Department and NHS England are currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations of the report.

Disability: Genetics

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has on (a) raising awareness of severe and complex disabilities suspected of having a genetic syndrome for which it is not currently possible to confirm a diagnosis and (b) helping to ensure that patients and their families that are affected by such disabilities have access to appropriate care and support.

George Freeman: The Department is committed to improving the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, including those severe and complex conditions caused by genetic disorders, through implementation of the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases, published in November 2013. The UK strategy includes specific recommendations to improve awareness amongst service providers and others of the effects that rare diseases can have on a person’s education, family, social relationships and ability to work. There is also a specific recommendation to improve education and awareness across the healthcare professions and to improve the co-ordination of care, recognising that some patients have complex needs and require expertise from a number of specialists and carers.The UK Rare Disease Forum will monitor progress against the recommendations in the strategy and is due to produce its first report in early 2016.

Health Services: Homelessness

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the ability of homeless people to access addiction services; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The ministerial working group on homelessness report ‘Addressing complex needs – improving services for vulnerable people’ (2015) highlighted significant levels of substance misuse among the homeless population. Homeless people often have multiple health needs, and the report showed how vulnerable people can become trapped in a cycle of homelessness because of their overlapping and complex problems.Improving access to specialist substance misuse services for homeless people can also help to facilitate access to the help they need to find accommodation. This includes both in-house services and onward referral routes to external organisations, such as local authority housing services or other housing support services.Public Health England (PHE) supports local authorities to help them understand better the needs of homeless people with addictions, in addition to working with key stakeholders such as the Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health and membership organisation Homeless Link. PHE commissioned Homeless Link to carry out a rapid evidence assessment of homelessness prevention. PHE has also supported Homeless Link to update the Homeless Health Needs Audit toolkit, an important tool that can help areas understand the scale and nature of homelessness, the health inequalities experienced by single homeless people, and to monitor any changes in the health of this population. It is designed to be used by anyone with responsibility for carrying out needs assessments, designing and commissioning services, or delivering services within a health or homelessness setting.

Autism: Children

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children have received a diagnostic assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The Department of Health does not collect data on the number of children who have received a diagnostic assessment of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.The Department for Education collects data on children’s primary special educational need (SEN).The table below shows those children in schools in the last five years who had a statement or who were on school action plus, whose primary need was autistic spectrum disorder. These figures do not include pre-school children with autism, young people in further education, or children with autism who had a different primary need. 201056,250201161,575201266,195201370,785201476,015In 2015, the primary need was collected also for those children on SEN support. Including this additional group, 90,775 children were recorded as having a primary need of autistic spectrum disorder in 2015, but given the change in collection methodology, this cannot be compared with the earlier years.

Stem Cells

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations his Department has received on stem cell donation and transplantation.

Jane Ellison: A search of the Department’s central correspondence database has identified 99 items of correspondence received between 8 May and 27 October 2015 about stem cell donation and/or transplantation. Around two-thirds of this correspondence related to the Anthony Nolan report ‘Destination Care’.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Nurses

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what role his Department played in NICE's decision not to publish safe nurse staffing guidance in accident and emergency departments along with four evidence reviews of safe nurse staffing; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: Responsibility for developing safe staffing guidance in a number of clinical areas passed from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to NHS England in June 2015, and is being led by Dr Mike Durkin working with others across the National Health Service. This work will include guidance on safe staffing in accident and emergency departments, and the guidance will draw on the earlier work undertaken by NICE. When the responsibility for this work was transferred, NICE concluded that it would be unhelpful, ahead of the further work to be done on the guidance, to publish the material that it had brought together. The Department discussed these options with NICE and agreed with their decision.

Opiates

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions for opioids were written in each of the last 15 years.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the recent trends in opioid prescribing.

Alistair Burt: Information is not held centrally for numbers of prescription items written. The table provides both the numbers of prescription items dispensed for opioid medicines in England, as defined by the British National Formulary (BNF) Section 4.7.2 opioid analgesics, and an analysis of prescribing trends, for the last 15 calendar years, using England population figures.Number of prescription items and prescription items per 1,000 of population in England, for opioids, as defined by BNF 4.7.2, based on prescriptions written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England.  YearPrescription items (thousands)1Items per 1,000 population 2% change in prescription items 2% change in items per 1,000 population 220006,818.9138.5--20017,462.1150.99.49.020028,077.4162.68.27.720038,731.1174.98.17.620049,498.3189.28.88.2200510,709.9211.612.811.8200611,960.2234.711.710.9200713,408.8261.012.111.2200814,843.0286.510.79.8200916,270.5311.79.68.8201017,689.0336.08.77.8201119,124.4360.18.17.2201220,552.3384.27.56.7201321,710.3403.05.64.9201422,748.8418.84.83.9Source: 1 Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre2 Analysis based on Office of National Statistics population statistics for England

Infant Mortality

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to reduce infant mortality.

Jane Ellison: We have made reducing infant mortality an area of improvement for the National Health Service in the NHS Outcomes Framework. We are also committed to reducing the number of stillbirths and want England to achieve the lowest rate of stillbirth and neonatal death in the world. Reducing infant mortality is also highlighted as an outcome indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.We want to improve all children’s chances in life by giving families the help they need to keep their children healthy and safe. The 0-5 years Healthy Child Programme, led and delivered by health visitors and their teams, is the key universal programme for the health and well-being of children, and sets out reviews, screening, and support which aim to reduce cot death, prevent ill health and to identify and treat problems early.MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies - Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK), has been appointed to continue the national programme of work investigating maternal deaths, stillbirths and infant deaths. They aim to identify what has gone wrong and why and make national recommendations on how care can be improved for all mothers and babies.

Mental Health Services: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average bed occupancy rate was in each mental health hospital in London in each month since 1 January 2015.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average bed occupancy rate was in each hospital trust in London in each month since 1 January 2015.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions bed occupancy rates reached (a) 85, (b) 90, (c) 95 and (d) 100 per cent in each mental health hospital in London in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. Official statistics for average daily occupancy rates for beds open overnight are published every quarter.Average daily bed occupancy rates for each hospital trust, including each mental health trust, in London for the quarters ending 31 March 2015 and 30 June 2015 are shown in the following table.Table 1: Average daily bed occupancy rates in London hospital trusts, 2014-15 quarter 4 and 2015-16 quarter 2TrustType2014-15 quarter 42015-16 quarter 1Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS TrustAcute96.0%94.7%Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS TrustMental health99.2%98.0%Barts Health NHS TrustAcute96.0%93.4%Camden and Islington NHS Foundation TrustMental health98.6%96.7%Central and North West London NHS Foundation TrustMental health94.7%92.3%Central London Community Healthcare NHS TrustCommunity86.0%83.1%Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation TrustAcute89.4%91.7%Croydon Health Services NHS TrustAcute87.6%82.1%East London NHS Foundation TrustMental health84.0%82.7%Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS TrustAcute84.7%82.2%Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation TrustAcute85.5%86.7%Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation TrustAcute84.2%81.6%Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation TrustAcute85.7%81.5%Imperial College Healthcare NHS TrustAcute85.4%82.0%King's College Hospital NHS Foundation TrustAcute92.2%91.0%Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation TrustAcute98.4%89.7%Lewisham and Greenwich NHS TrustAcute95.2%92.8%London North West Healthcare NHS TrustAcute90.4%87.7%Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation TrustAcute72.6%54.6%North East London NHS Foundation TrustMental health91.2%88.5%North Middlesex University Hospital NHS TrustAcute96.7%88.6%Oxleas NHS Foundation TrustMental health95.6%95.7%Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation TrustAcute94.9%86.4%Royal Free London NHS Foundation TrustAcute85.5%85.5%Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS TrustAcute64.9%68.6%South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation TrustMental health90.8%Did not returnSouth West London and St George's Mental Health NHS TrustMental health80.6%81.0%St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustAcute90.8%93.3%The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustAcute88.3%84.5%The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation TrustAcute86.2%83.1%The Whittington Hospital NHS TrustAcute84.3%87.7%University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustAcute78.4%73.4%West London Mental Health NHS TrustMental health93.0%93.2%West Middlesex University Hospital NHS TrustAcute90.6%87.9%Source: Bed availability and occupancy, NHS EnglandNotes:The table shows average daily occupancy rates for all general and acute, maternity, mental health and learning disability beds open overnight.The table includes all London hospital trusts that provided data during the period.The number of quarters in the last five years in which each mental health hospital trust in London had an average daily bed occupancy rate equal to or greater than 85, 90, 95 and 100 per cent is shown in the following table.Table 2: Number of quarters in which London hospital trusts had an average daily bed occupancy rate equal to or greater than 85, 90 and 95 and 100 per cent in the 20 quarters from 2010-11 quarter 2 to 2015-16 quarter 1Average daily bed occupancy rate equal to or greater than:Trust85%90%95%100%Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust1818160Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust2017130Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust191970East London NHS Foundation Trust9000North East London NHS Foundation Trust8100Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust201950South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust16500South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust10100West London Mental Health NHS Trust201810Notes:The table shows average daily occupancy rates for all general and acute, maternity, mental health and learning disability beds open overnight.The table includes all London mental hospital trusts that provided data during the period.

Mental Health Services

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many admissions there were to psychiatric inpatient wards for psychosis in each year from 2010 to 2015.

Alistair Burt: Data for admissions to psychiatric inpatient wards for psychosis in England is provided in the following table:Count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of psychosis in England, 2010-11 to 2014-15YearFAEs2010-1112,8522011-1213,1502012-1314,2212013-1414,6582014-1514,856Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information CentreNotes: Data for 2014/15 is provisional.Activity is in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.

Mental Health Services: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions patients were granted weekend leave in each mental health hospital in London in each month since 1 January 2015.

Alistair Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. The information in the attached table shows episodes of leave starting on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday for each London mental health trust, between 1 January 2015 to July 2015.The attached table is provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.   



Weekend leave- London mental health trusts 2015
(Excel SpreadSheet, 52.57 KB)

Liver Diseases

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the Lancet Commission on liver disease, published in November 2014.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes for people with liver disease. It is adopting a broad strategy to reduce premature mortality, including mortality from liver disease, and is working jointly with stakeholders to make sure that patients with liver disease are supported. In addition, Public Health England is working with stakeholders to develop a liver disease framework and is also working closely with the Lancet Commission.

Women and Equalities

Graduates: Equal Pay

Phil Boswell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in its report, Is Britain Fairer, published in October 2015, that (a) there are persistent gender pay gaps among graduates and (b) employment and earnings premiums among graduates are lower for women than for men.

Phil Boswell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in its report, Is Britain Fairer, published in October 2015, that there are persistent gender pay gaps among graduates.

Caroline Dinenage: The EHRC is an independent body, and its report ‘Is Britain Fairer?’ covers a five-year period 2008-13 across both the Labour and coalition governments. We welcome the positive areas of progress it refers to and note the challenges it raises. The information in the report will be used by the EHRC to help develop its next strategic plan, covering the period 2016-19.